Typewriter attachment



April B. E. DUBBS 96,335

TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT Filed Oct. 10, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l gwuc/whyo ,3 e2; 2 02a EJ105455 April 9, 1940. B. E. DUB BS TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT Filed Oct. 10, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 jvwcmom Beni o E April 1940- B. E. DUBBS' 2,196,335

TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT Filed Oct'. 10, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet s Patented Apr. 9, ,1940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TYPEWRITER ATTACHMENT Benton E. Dubbs, Kokomo, Ind.

Application October 10, 1938, Serial No. 234,237

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an attachment for typewriters and the like, the general object of the invention being to provide ribbons for making duplicate copies instead of the usual carbon sheets, and to so construct and arrange the parts the ribbon can be used for a long time and when a multiple colored ribbon is being used, the different colored parts'thereof can be brought into writing position.

Another object is to provide means whereby '20 either one or more of the ribbons may be used,

when the attachment carries more than one ribbon.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a typewriter equipped with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end View of the upper part of the typewriter shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in raised position.

4.0 v Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the two sets of ribbon carrying arms and showing how they are connected together.

Fig. '7 is a section on line 1| of Fig. 1.

e Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view showing the ratchet teeth onthe supporting member.

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 1. i Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing how an end of a ribbon is connected to an arm.

.5 Fig. 11 is a section on line H-'H of Fig. 1.

Fig. 12 is a. view of one of the ribbons.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view through that part of the housing having the tubular part passing ,therethrough.

- Fig. 14 is a view of the crank assembly,

carried by the tubular member 2.

of the platen. A short partition plate 3 is located between thelower portions of the plates l and is A pair of arcuate shaped plates 4 is located at theother end -of the platen and these plates are connected in -l spaced relation by a tubular member 5 and a part of the platen shaft, adjacent said other end of the platen, passes through this tubular member. Thus the two sets of plates are rotatably arranged on the end portions of the platen shaft, .1 adjacent the ends of the platen. A tube 6 has its ends connected to the inner plates l and 4 and extends parallel to the platen adjacent the rear part thereof. A tube 1 is rotatably arranged in the tube 6 and has its ends projecting beyond 1 the inner plates I and 4. A short arm 8 has one end connected to that end of tube 7 which passes through the inner plate I and a short arm 8' is connected to that end of tube l which passes through the inner plate 4. A shaft 9 is r0tatablyarranged in tube 1 with its ends projecting from the ends of the tube 1 and said ends of the shaft (extend through a part of the plate 3 and a part of the outer plate 4 and long arms i0 and M are connected with these ends of the shaft 9, the-.25 arm l0 being movable in the space between the' partition plate 3 and the outer plate I and the arm l0 being movable in a plane outside the outer plate 4. Each of the four arms has a notch H therein, the wall of which will rest on a tu- 0 bular part 2, or 5.when the arm is in lowered position and each arm has an arcuate front end [2 which is concentric to the platen when the arm is in lowered position. Adjacent the free end of each arm and on its outer face is a curved,,35 hook l3, extending rearwardly for passing through an eyelet M at each end of a ribbon R. The hooks on the long arms are located closer to the free ends of such arms than are the hooks on the short arms so that ribbons of the same llo length can be used with both sets of arms. Of course the ends of the ribbons are passed over the arcuate ends l2 of the arms and then the eyelets are placed over the hooks, so that the ribbons are held stretched between the arms and,, 45 the arcuate ends I2 hold the ribbons in an arc concentric to the platen, as shown inFig. 9. Lips l2 are formed at the ends of the arcuate ends to prevent the ribbons from slipping ofi these ends. The eyelets M are located closer to one, side edge of a ribbon than the other edge so that by reversing the ribbon a new part thereof will be brought into writing position, thus. increasing the life of the ribbon. The ribbons are of the usual type and may have one face so treatedthat ,it will not print on the back of a sheet of paper,

the front face of which is receiving ink from the regular ribbon or one of the ribbons R.

Each arm 8' and I0 is formed with a hinge l5 for, connecting onesection of the arm with awnother section, the hinge permitting the outer section to swing outwardly but not inwardly, and a cam I6 is carried by each plate 4 for pressing the outer sections of each arm 8 and ID outwardly, when the arm is swung downwardly into operative position, so as to stretch the ribbon. However when the arms are swung upwardly, the outer sections of the arms will pass from the cams and thus the ribbon will be slacked. This will give the ribbon longer life as it is only stretched when in operative position.

An upright frame I! is connected to the left hand end of the carriage and a tubular member I8 extends from the outer face of the housing A under the top part of the frame. A short tubular shaft I9 is journaled in the tubular member i8 and has a crank arm 28 connected to its inner end and a knob 2| is connected to its outer end. A longer tubular shaft 22 passes through the shaft l9 and has its ends projecting therefrom. A crank arm 23 is connected to the inner end of the shaft 22 and a knob 24 is connected to its outer end. A link 25 connects the crank arm 20 of shaft [9 with the adjacent long arm and a similar link connects the crank arm 23 with the adjacent short arm 8. Thus by turning the inner knob 2|, the long arms iii and it can be raised and lowered to move the outer ribbon l2 into operative and inoperative positions and by turning the outer knob 2d the inner ribbon can be adjusted to operative and inoperative positions, through means of the arms 8 and 8. However, I provide means for facilitating the downward movement of the inner ribbon first, and while, such means shown herein include the formation of a lug 28 on crank 23 which is engaged by crank 20 as said crank moves downwardly, other suitable means may be substituted therefor as will function in a similar manner. Thus when the outer knob 2G is turned, which is the one which would naturally be grasped by an operator, the inner arms 8 and 3 will be swung downwardly to position the inner ribbon, or the one closest to the platen, adjacent the platen, and then, if the second ribbon is to be used, this ribbon can be moved to operative position by turning the knob 2|. When this is done both ribbons can be moved to inoperative position by turning the outer knob 2 for when this is done, the lug 26 engaging the crank 28 will cause both ribbons to be raised into inoperative position.

As will be seen, when the arms l8 and Iii and 8 and 8 are swung upwardly, the ribbons will move in an arc upwardly and rearwardly and away from the platen, so that they will easily free themselves from the sheets of paper in the machine and when the ribbons are moved downwardly they will move in the same are which terminates at the front of the platen with the ribbons concentric to the platen. When the ribbons are in raised position they will not interfere with the usual operations of the typewriter and either one or both of the ribbons can be used, in accordance with the number of copies to be made. Of course, the device can be constructed to hold more than two ribbons, if desired. As will be seen from Fig. 3 when the device is in operative position, the pivots of the crank arms and of the links will be in alignment or on dead centers and this will lock the parts in lowered or operative position so there is no danger of the ribbons getting out of printing positons.

In order to permit the ribbons to be adjusted to bring new portions thereof into printing position when other portions have become worn with use or to bring different portions of multicolored ribbons into printing position, I provide means whereby the housing and plates 4 may be adjusted on the platen shaft, such means consisting of ratchet teeth 30 on the frame H, see Fig. 8, and a pawl or rod 32 for engaging such teeth, see Fig. 7, which passes through the housing A, the inner end of the rod being connected to a leaf spring 34 attached to the inner side of said housing. Normally the spring holds the rod in engagement with a tooth so that the housing is held against movement but by pressing on a knob 35 on a rod 36 which passes through the shaft 22 and its knob, the spring will be pushed to a position where the rod 32 will be disengaged from a tooth and then the housin and plates 4 with the parts carried thereby, can be adjusted on the platen shaft to move the ribbons with respect to the printing position and thus bring a new part of each ribbon into printing position. It will be understood that movement of housing A will be communicated to plates 6 by the tube 6.

Thus I have provided ribbons for making duplicate copies instead of carbon sheets with means for adjusting either one or more of the ribbons into printing position from an inoperative position with means for adjusting the ribbons to bring different portions thereof into printing position so as to prolong the life of the ribbons and to bring different colored parts of the ribbons into printing position.

If desired a third plate can be attached to the outer end of the tube to act as a guide for the outer arm Ill and the housing A with the parts associated therewith can be placed at the right end of the carriage instead of the left end. Also either set of ribbon carrying arms may be equipped with the hinges and cooperating cams i6, or both sets may be so arranged. Also, when desired the eyelets i l may be positioned centrally of the ribbons and other means than the hooks and eyelets may be used to connect the ribbons to the arms.

Extra copies can be formed with the ribbons by placing thin sheets of paper in front of the ribbons, the typing being read through the sheet. This permits four copies to be made from the two ribbons.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An attachment for a typewriting machine comprising two sets of plate-like members, tubes passing transversely through said members, one tube being rotatably arranged on a part of the platen shaft adjacent one end of the platen and the other tube on the shaft adjacent the other end of the platen, a tubular member extending across the rear of the platen and connecting the two sets of members together, a rotary shaft passing through the tubular member with its ends located between rear portions of the sets of members, an arm having its rear end connected to each end of said shaft, a ribbon connected to the front ends of said arms, means connected to one arm for raising and lowering the arms, said arms engaging the tubes when in lowered position and platen shaft adjacent one end of the platen and the other tube on the shaft adjacent the other end of the platen, a tubular member extending across the rear of the platen and connecting the two sets of members together, a rotary shaft passing through the tubular member with its ends located between rear portions of the sets of members, an arm'having its rear end connected to each end of said shaft, a ribbon connected to the front ends of said arms, means connected to one arm for raising and lowering the arms, said arms engaging the tubes when in lowered position, means for adjustably connecting oneset of members to a part of the carriage, the means for actuating the arms including a shaft rotatably supported in an upper portion of one set of members, a handle member at the outer end of said shaft, a crank at its other end and a link connecting the crank to said one arm.

- 3. An attachment for a typewriting machine comprising two sets of plate-like members, tubes passing transversely through said members, one tube being rotatably arranged on a part of the platen shaft adjacent one end of the platen and the other tube on the shaft adjacent the other end of the platen, a tubular member extending across the rear of the platen and connecting the two sets of members together, a rotary shaft passing through the tubular member with its ends located between rear portions of the sets of members, an arm having its rear end connected to each end of said shaft, a ribbon connected to the front ends of said arms, means connected to one arm for raising and lowering the arms, said arms engaging the tubes when in lowered position, means for adjustably connecting one set of members to a part of the carriage, the means for actuating the arms including a shaft rotatably supported in an upper portion of one set of members, a handle member at the outer end of said shaft, a crank at its other end, a link connecting the crank to said one arm, said parts being on dead center when the parts are in lowered position.

4. An attachment for a typewriting machine comprising a housing including plate-like members, a transverse tube passing through the lower parts of the members and engaging the platen shaft adjacent one end of the platen, a second set of plate-like members having a transverse tube passing through them and engaging the shaft adjacent the other end of the platen, a tubular member extending across the rear portion of the platen and having its ends connecting with the housing and the second set of plate-like members, a tubular shaft passing through the tubular member and having one end located in the housing and its other end in the space formed by the second set of plate-like members, a shaft passing through the tubular shaft and having its ends passing beyond the ends of the tubular shaft, ribbon carrying arms having their rear ends connected to the ends of the shaft and the tubular shaft, the inner arms being shorter than the outer arms, said arms when in lowered position resting on the transverse tubes and holding the ribbons across the front of the platen, means for adjustably connecting the housing to a part of the carriage, manually rotated shafts in the upper part of the housing, a crank and link connecting one of these shafts with an arm in the housing and a crank and link connecting the other shaft with the other arm in the housing.

5. An attachment for a typewriting machine comprising a housing including plate-like members, a transverse tube passing through the lower parts of the members and engaging theplaten shaft adjacent one end of the platen, a second set of plate-like members having a transverse tube passing through them and engaging the shaft adjacent the other end of the platen,atubular memberextending across the rear portion of the platen and having its ends connecting with the housing and the second set of plate like members, a tubular shaft passing through the tubular member and having one end located in the housing and its other end in the space formed by the second set of plate-like members, a shaft passing through the tubular shaft and having its ends passing beyond the ends of the tubular shaft, ribbon carrying arms having their rear ends connected to the ends of the shaft and the tubular shaft, the inner arms being shorter than the outer arms, said arms when in lowered position resting on-the transverse tubes and holding the ribbons across the front of the platen, means for adjustably connecting the housing to a part of the carriage, manually rotated shafts in the upper part of the housing, a crank and link connecting one of these shafts with an arm in the housing, a crank and link connecting the other shaft with the other arm in the housing and means whereby theshorter arms are lowered first when both sets of arms are lowered.

6. An attachment for a typewriting machine comprising supporting members pivoted to the platen shaft adjacent opposite ends ofv the platen and extending rearwardly therefrom, means for connecting the members together at the rear of the platen, arms pivoted at their rear ends to said members back of the platen and extending forwardly across the shaft when in lowered position, a ribbon carried by each pair of arms at the front ends of said arms, the outer arms being longer than the inner arms, means for connecting together the arms of each pair, and manually actuated means carried by one supporting member for raising and lowering the arms of each pair, the said means including a rotatable shaft having a member extending radially therefrom, and a link extending between and pivoted at its ends to the said member and the adjacent arm.

7. An attachment for a typewriting machine comprising supporting members pivoted to the platen shaft, one adjacent each end of the platen, means for connecting the members together at the rear of the platen, arms pivoted at their rear ends to said members and extending across the shaft when in lowered position, a ribbon carried by each pairof arms at the front ends of said arms, the outer arms being longer than the inner arma'means for connecting together the arms of each pair, manually actuated means carried by one supporting member for raising and lowering the arms of each pair, and manually actuated pawl and ratchet means for adjusting the supporting members to locate desired portions of each ribbon on the typing line of the platen.

BENTON E. DUBBS. 

